Taliesin West facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Taliesin West |
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Fountain and terrace in 2004
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| Location | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Area | 495 acres (200 ha) |
| Built | 1937 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style(s) | Organic architecture |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii) |
| Designated | 2019 (43rd session) |
| Part of | The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Reference no. | 1496-007 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Designated | February 12, 1974 |
| Reference no. | 74000457 |
| Designated | May 20, 1982 |
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Taliesin West was the winter home and studio of a famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright. He lived and worked here in the desert from 1937 until he passed away in 1959. Today, it is the main office for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
You can visit Taliesin West on tours. It is located on Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale, Arizona. The name "Taliesin West" comes from Wright's other home, Taliesin, which is in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
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A Desert Home: History of Taliesin West
Frank Lloyd Wright and his students, called the Taliesin Fellowship, started coming to Arizona every winter in 1935. They did this to escape the cold Wisconsin winters, as it was better for Wright's health.
In 1937, Wright bought a piece of desert land that would become Taliesin West. He paid very little for the land, which was on a southern slope of the McDowell Mountains. It overlooked Paradise Valley near Scottsdale.
Wright thought this was the perfect spot for his new home, office, and school. He described it as "the top of the world."
Building Taliesin West needed a lot of money, over $10,000, just to dig a well for water. In the first winters, Wright and his students lived in tents. They built the first parts of the complex mostly by hand. They used materials found nearby, like rocks, stone, and sand. The buildings were designed to fit perfectly with the natural Sonoran Desert landscape.
When Wright and his family arrived, they found ancient Native American petroglyphs (rock carvings) among the rocks. One carving, which you can see on a tour, looks like hands clasping. Wright used this idea to create a symbol for Taliesin West, turning the figures into connected lines.
Amazing Design: How Taliesin West Was Built
Wright strongly believed that his buildings should connect with the desert around them. He said that Arizona needed its own type of architecture. He wanted buildings to have long, low lines and shapes inspired by desert animals like the rattlesnake and Gila monster, and plants like the saguaro and cholla.
The walls of Taliesin West are made from local desert rocks. These rocks were stacked inside wooden frames and then filled with concrete. This building method is called "desert masonry." Wright always preferred to use materials that were easy to find nearby, instead of bringing them from far away. He said, "We got it all together with the landscape…" The flat sides of the rocks faced outwards, and large boulders filled the inside spaces to save concrete.
Natural light was also a very important part of the design. In the drafting room, where designs were drawn, Wright used see-through canvas for the roof. This let in soft, natural light. Later, plastic replaced the canvas because the Arizona sun was too strong. In the dining room, which faces south, Wright did not build the walls all the way to the ceiling. He designed the roof to hang over the walls. This stopped direct sunlight from coming in but still allowed light to fill the room. Wright believed natural light helped his students work better and kept the inside of the building connected to nature.
Every part of Taliesin West shows Frank Lloyd Wright's personal touch. Each time he returned from Wisconsin in the summer, he would immediately start making changes. He would walk through every room, making improvements or telling his students what to do. He was always changing and improving his design, fixing problems and trying new ideas. Over the years, he made the dining room bigger and added a cabaret theatre, a music pavilion, and many other rooms. Wright designed all the furniture and decorations, and most of them were built by his students.
One amazing part of Wright's design is the cabaret theatre. It has six sides and an unusual hexagonal shape, built from the same rock-concrete mix. People say it has "95% acoustic perfection." This means someone sitting in the very back row can hear even a quiet whisper from the stage!
Legacy and World Heritage Status
During his life, Wright constantly changed and added to the buildings at Taliesin West. All of these additions were built by his students.
Many of Wright's most famous buildings were designed in the drafting room at Taliesin West. These include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and Grady Gammage Auditorium at Arizona State University in Tempe.
Today, Taliesin West is still the main office for The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. It also runs several programs.
Taliesin West was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was then named a National Historic Landmark in 1982.
In 2008, the U.S. National Park Service suggested Taliesin West, along with nine other Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, for World Heritage Status. This means they are considered very important to the world's history and culture. In July 2019, Taliesin West and seven other Wright properties were officially added to the World Heritage List. They are now part of a group called "The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright."
See also
In Spanish: Taliesin West para niños
- List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
